Pool Day!

Daddy P is sick with the flu, so we are playing outside today. And since it is 92 no better way to do that than with a pool!

It's clear that we have entered a new phase. Kate would greatly prefer a playmate and asks to invite someone to play.  There's a little girl across the street her age but we haven't made much attempt to get to know her. We went over once to introduce ourselves but nothing has come of it. Time to put some effort into it I guess.

Tomorrow we are headed to a REAL pool party and bought some water wings in preparation.  I was hoping to avoid finding a swimsuit bit now that daddy p is out I will definitely be on swim duty. Hope u can find that extra large bathing suit I bought last pregnancy!

Cutting

My half hour of cutting waaaay back our shrubs before my stamina gave in.  What the front of the house looks like. Daddy p says it looks like a meteor hit us.  I might get enough energy up tomorrow to manage another bit.

Decorating

To save money, we decided not to paint the baby room or to buy him any special themed bedding.  Poor second child...but, I did splurge on some decorative stickers for his (and Kates room). As a reward for putting up with us spending an hour or two cleaning and organizing the baby room, Kate got to put her stickers up.

We are now planning on taking the six samples of blue paint (leftover from painting the exterior last fall) and mixing them. If the color isnt disgusting, baby brother might get a random blue room. We will see. We also have two half gallons of random green and three green samples so that could be an option for a wall. Lol...

Poor kid.

Happy face

This is kate's new happy goody face. She uses it especially when telling me there is a bear nearby that is going to eat me up.  This morning it was a report on whether lions were in the house. Anyway, I love it. The raised eyebrows and goofy grin...so cute...

New scissors

What happens when you buy scissors and leave the room for 2 minutes.

Farmers Market

Kate and I have spent the last several Wednesdays at the farmer's market after school. Today we had some cloud cover to keep the temp down to 88 and make it bearable.  A new market just opened walking distance from our house and I think Kate and Daddy P are headed there tomorrow. We don't really buy anything at the market. We are too poor. But we support them in spirit and the occasional purchase or lemonade.

Helping out

Kate and I walked to a nearby coffeeshop today to sit and splurge on a latter (for mom) and snack (for kate). Ms. Kate decided that the plants looked a little too thirsty and decided to take matters into her own hands.

She has been enjoying gardening with us at home. Especially the picking and eating part.  The mosquitos are starting to make an appearance though and I am hoping that doesn't mean our gardening days are over. I also feel slightly guilty watering our lawn when water is so lacking here. But we finally got our rain barrels set up so we at least have that for the flowers and plants. It is working surprisingly well.  I have also almost convinced Daddy P that we should gather our sink run off for watering. We don't have a garbage disposal so if we can find a plant friendly soap to use that shouldn't be too unreasonable.  Plus we have a two sided sink so it would be easy enough to route one to the pipes and one to a tank. Daddy P says that will be his paternity leave project. Ha!

Park Day

A little train ride, some lemonade, hot sun. Feels like summer. Wait, its only 85...must be Spring.

House Cleaning

Today we cleaned. Some of us were more clothed than others.

Kate then obliged us by taking a three hour nap during our childbirth class waking up at the very very end. She missed watching examples of different births. Probably a good thing. Although two of the women looked so calm you might have mistaken the moaning for other things, one screamed bloody murder the whole time (our doula here reminded us to keep you voice low to channel energy downward instead of out your mouth).

My favorite part was practicing positions. Each one included massage practice. I want to practice them every night now.  I am newly motivated to get back in shape. That and one of my closest friends told me she thinks the main reason her second birth was so much harder than her first was because she wasn't in shape. And I am definitely not. I started on a good path, hit between work and the toddler and family, exercise got pushed aside. I am also significantly more incomfortable tba. The first time which makes motivating myself a challenge. But tomorrow, I renew my effort. 

Summer Lovin'

Kate petitioned to go "to the ice cream store for dessert." You would think we had done this before. But, we decided it was a good idea and it was time to introduce her to Dairy Queen. She literally jumped for joy when we said we would go, and then excitedly ate her cup of ice cream.  Nothing like ice cream on a hot summer night!

By Kate

A 30 week pic, courtesy of Kate.

Awesome Kate-isms from the week

Paul picked Kate up from school on Tuesday to take her to a local restaurant/playground to have dinner with all the families in the class.  I had work, so I was meeting them there. On the way, he made a wrong turn and commented on it to Kate.  In addition, they were stuck in rush hour traffic so things were generally going slowly.  Kate comments from the backseat:  "Mommy does this better."  "What better?" asks Paul.  "The car," she says.  Thank goodness we got a girl with brains.

Today on the way home Kate starts crying.  "What happened?" I ask.  "Horsey hurt me," she says.  "Stop horsey, stop it, I don't like that."  When we get to a stoplight I turn around and horsey is telling Kate "I'm sorry" (she tells me) and is kissing her boo boo and giving her a hug.

Paul was working in the house today since it's so hot out and we already had the AC running in the house.  We came home before he got off and Kate sees him sitting and working with the Cardinal's game on the radio and the play-by-play graphics on the internet next to him.  "Can I sit with you and watch baseball?" Kate asks.  I really expected Paul to melt into the seat he was so completely happy.

Kate lifts up her shirt this morning.  "I have a baby in my tummy.  Look, my tummy is SO BIG." (Do I really say that?)  "You do?" I ask.  "Yes," she answers, "But he is too little to come out yet.  He's this big." She holds up her finger and thumb.  "He's going to come out my bottom."  (This is a big improvement over last week when she told me her baby brother was coming out of my throat.  We are working hard to differentiate tummy-stomach-uterus.)  "Ah, I see," I say, "What's your baby's name?"  "Baby Reed," she answers matter-of-factly (my sister's 3 week old's name).  In fact, yesterday she suggested we name our baby Baby Reed and I tried to explain we needed a different name.  Apparently she's very taken with the name...

I'm flipping through a magazine this evening after pushing it a little too hard at the park in 90+ degree weather.  Kate comes and plops down next to me wanting to see.  We get to a picture on a drug-ad for anxiety and Kate says, "She looks worried."  I had a hard time not laughing.  Definitely a therapist's daughter (poor kid).

We're in labor!

We're at the hospital.  Sarah and baby are doing fine even though it's very early.  Will keep you updated.  April fools.